VERO BEACH, Fla. - When USF head coach Skip Holtz and his staff took over in January of 2010, they knew they had one quarterback, B.J. Daniels. What they didn't know heading into camp was who else they could count on at the position. Fortunately, they saw something in true-freshman walk-on Bobby Eveld that made them a little more comfortable, but they knew there would have to be work done to help solidify the all-important area.

The development of Daniels in a new system was well documented last year as was the growth of Eveld into a capable back-up, one who would lead the team to a victory at Miami and earn the first start of his career against UConn, after an injured Daniels was unable to go.

But, what allowed for the progression of both players that has the coaching staff feeling even better heading into year two of the regime? It's the relationship between the two and a competition that fosters improvement in both.

"I think it's a type of thing where they realize one another are there," said quarterbacks coach Peter Vaas. "They are both quality people and they respect one another. I think it becomes a pride thing where each individual wants to play as well as he can. Whether it's a competition with each other or a competition from each other, it spurs something inwardly in them."

Even though the tandem is competing for the starting spot and people think it could hurt a relationship, Daniels and Eveld's bond has been just the opposite because they know their individual improvement will make them collectively stronger, which in turn, will give the team a better chance to reach its goals.

"He's been a huge help," Eveld said. "He acted like a big brother to me. He really took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I think our attitude is a lot different than most people might see it. At the end of the day, we're on the same team, we're pushing each other to get better and we're both trying to be the best quarterback we can be."

Daniels agrees completely.

"He got thrown in the fire and did a very good job," added Daniels. "I just tried to give him little things from my experience to try and help him. He's got an infectious attitude and when you have the chance to compete with someone like that every day, it pushes you to work as hard as you can to get better. I think we both feed off of that and it's helping us improve."

Each quarterback brings a little something different to the table. Daniels is known for his mobility, and with a stellar bowl game performance, he appeared to take another step in his development as a game manager, while Eveld showed last year that he's capable of making throws and leading the team.

"B.J.'s skill set is instinctive," Vaas explained. "He has a tremendous amount of natural instincts on what to do, when to do it and then how to do it. He has ability with his feet, but he's also learning to become a quarterback, to move people with his eyes, to make good decisions, to understand situations. As a result, that combination could be an extremely powerful thing."

"Bobby is much more cerebral," Vaas added. "Not that he's robotic, but Bobby does it by the book. He crosses the 'Ts' and dots the 'Is' in everything that he does."

As a result of the growth not only in their games, but in their relationship, the USF staff is now comfortable in their quarterback situation, which is one of the many differences between now and this time last year for the Bulls.

Today's question from Janet Caragan on Facebook:Last year, coach made the team learn the fight song...what surprise did he have for the players this year?

Answer: Thanks Janet. The freshmen and newcomers will have to learn the fight song just like the guys last year. We've continued to room players from opposite sides of the ball or young and old to help everyone get to know each other a little better. We'll continue to do some team-building exercises during camp, but if we told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise, so we'll revisit this question later in camp.